Hand-decorated Easter eggs Blown white eggs, hand-decorated, dates unknown Eggs are associated with fertility and new life, and the customs and traditions of using eggs have been associated with Easter for centuries. Seven of the eggs here are painted Easter eggs from Northumberland and are made
from a paste compound. The other eggs were hand-decorated with felt-tip pens by Marx.
Coloured sand souvenirs Glass and coloured sand from the Isle of Wight, date unknown These paperweights and candleholder contain layers of sand with decoration depicting ‘The Needles, Isle of Wight’. Natural multicoloured sands of Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight have been collected and made into souvenirs since early Victorian times.
Woven panel Cotton and wool, date unknown The cloth is woven with two matching geometric motifs within a faded border with a tassel at the centre. Marx was very interested in traditionally made textiles, and this item is possibly South American.
Christmas decorations Handmade, date unknown These handmade Christmas tree decorations were made for, and by, Marx and Lambert from different materials such as fabric, wood, velvet, ribbon, sequins and straw.
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Egg box creature By Enid Marx (1902–1998) Cardboard, coloured card and felttip pen, date unknown This creature was made by Marx from an old egg box – she gave it large eyes, feet, eyes, nose and mouth, with the details added in felt-tip pen.
Selection of ribbons Production dates unknown Marx’s first memory of her interest in textiles was a collection of ribbon samples given to her by the local draper’s ribbon department. She was aged four at the time: ‘I remember the ribbons well… I was especially pleased when he gave me wide samples of fancy ribbons, with plaids of flowers and deckle edges.’
Christmas present tags Handmade, date unknown A selection of handmade Christmas present tags from Enid and Margaret’s friend, Dorothy.
Wooden spoon Wood, hand-painted, date unknown This souvenir spoon illustrates The Maiden’s Tower, also known as Leander’s Tower, or ‘Kiz Kulesi’ in Turkish. It is a tower which lies on a small islet near the the coast of Üsküdar in Istanbul, Turkey.